I will be running the Radisson Blu Larnaka Marathon on Sunday 17th November 2024 in honour of my Father Andrew Sotiri who sadly lost his 8 year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease on the 28th November 2022 at the age of just 65.

As someone who has worked in the health industry for over 24 years i’ve always been aware of Alzheimer’s Disease but never truly understood what it was or how it could affect the person suffering with the illness and the impact it could have on their families and friends until my Father was diagnosed at the very young age of 57.

Watching my Dad deteriorate in front of my eyes was one of the hardest realities i’ve ever had to face. He suffered from memory loss and confusion, He lost the ability to communicate with those he loved and lost the ability to carry out simple every day tasks and motor skills that were so innate and familiar to him for many years prior to his diagnosis.

Dad’s rapid deterioration had a massive impact on our whole family and the everyday lives we led as we all had to make changes and sacrifices in order to help care for him and support my Mum who was his primary carer on a daily basis. My Dad’s 8 year battle with this terrible disease saw my Mum lose her soulmate and myself and my Brothers lose our role model and hero and the saddest thing of all was that there was nothing we could do to stop it from happening.

Every 3 minutes dementia steals a happily ever after and research is our only chance of changing the ending for people affected by Alzheimer’s.

The reality is that Alzheimer’s is one of the biggest killers in the UK and can affect anyone of any age at any time in your life. Sadly there is currently no known cure for this disease despite the relentless work of organisations such as Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK). With your support we can help to fund more research and over time help to find a cure that could bring hope to so many sufferers and their families and loved ones in the future.

Alzheimer’s Heroes is a campaign founded and launched by my Brother George following my Fathers passing and I am very proud to be a part of this amazing team that is growing bigger and stronger every day…Here you will find a safe space to share stories, Connect with others who have had similar experiences as you and find a community that genuinely cares and wants to support each other at a time of need.

Our mission is to empower individuals and communities to become champions in the battle against Alzheimer’s. Although all our stories and experiences with Alzheimer’s will be very different our community shares the same common purpose and goal and that is to try and fund raise to help with research in finding a cure, Raise awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and inspire others that would like to join our campaign.

Thankyou in advance for all your donations and support and for taking the time to read my page.

Anthony x